The first introduction: Baby Cat and his Hepper Nest Bed
Hi, I’m Nicole! Read my introduction to learn more about me and my distinguished Burmese, Mr. Baby Cat.
Living all the way down under in New Zealand has many perks, but one of the struggles is the availability of shipping products from around the world. Sometimes, it’s not even possible, and other times, when it is, it costs an absolute fortune.
COVID added a bunch of new hoops to jump through with the postal industry in New Zealand, too. For example, we had Christmas presents sent to us in November 2021 and we received them in July 2022. We never wanted to risk it by ordering things from overseas until we knew things were back on track, and finally, in mid-2024, I feel like we have joined the rest of the globe again!
So, after waiting for a few years…
Baby Cat’s Nest Bed Has Finally Arrived!
It’s always a bit nerve-wracking getting a new bed for your pets because you never know if they are going to like them as much as you do, or if they even care for it at all. There are plenty of videos online of cat-bed-filled lounges and bedrooms and the cat sleeping on the floor or under a table, ignoring all the comfortable spaces. So, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t nervous that I was going to be too excited about the Nest and Baby Cat would walk the other way.
I filmed a quick unboxing video and Mac was super jealous that the bed wasn’t for him, and the beauty of the way the nest is shaped, is that he couldn’t steal it from Baby Cat!
Mac’s a bit disappointed he won’t fit in this cat bed.
Introducing Baby Cat to His Nest Bed
I did have to put Baby inside the Nest because he just walked right past it, as I expected. But he didn’t immediately jump out! Success!
Then, I left the bed on his spot on the couch and just left him alone, and… he got in by himself! He didn’t fall asleep in it immediately, either, but I didn’t want to force things, he was showing interest but if I showed too much of one it could go the other way…
I came back a few moments later and he was laying down beside his Nest bed, which felt like a half-win, because he clearly didn’t dislike it so much that he wanted to be away from it, even if he wasn’t madly in love with it just yet. Keep in mind, this is all within the first hour that this new item was in our home.
I don’t hate it, but we’re not in love just yet (only 1 hour after the Nest arrived).
Toddlers Love the Hepper Nest Bed!
Now, we don’t advertise this because it’s not the intended purpose of the Nest bed, but I would be remiss if I didn’t share how much our toddler loves it. A little after I left Baby Cat alone by the Nest, I heard some giggling.
When I went to check it out, I found my daughter sitting inside the Nest (Baby Cat woke up and politely removed himself from the excitement). She said, “Look, Mom, I’m in my playground!”
Having fun in the “playground”
She was rolling it from side to side and trying to balance herself but also flip herself over at the same time. It was hard for me to stop her because she was having the best time, but I also didn’t want her to break the bed after we’d waited for years, within the first couple hours after it was unboxed.
Thankfully, it is very durable! Because, if any of you reading have toddlers, you know that creating restrictions only makes things more desirable. I’m lucky that my toddler does listen quite well when we explain things fully to her, so we told her that this was Baby Cat’s special bed and first, she said “No, it’s my playground!” but pretty quickly after, she agreed it could be both.
I’m not recommending you buy one for your toddler, nor do I advocate for using this as a playground. It is built for cats! But, there’s some sort of magnetism inside it that just makes little critters want to sit inside it, I mean, if I had an adult-size nest you probably would find me in there at least 8 hours/day!
Yes, Mother, I’m testing it out.
Did Baby Cat Fall in Love With His Nest?
As you can see, it was definitely interest-at-first-sight between Baby Cat and the Nest bed, but did it form into full love? I decided I would document the whole courting process, so you’ll have to find out where we’re at next week…
This article is a part of Nicole and Baby Cat’s series.
